Let Me Hear You Sing!
by Lyssita Lennon
Summary: Vert Wheeler is a mechanic with the perfect name for his job. He's a decent singer and knows a few guitar chords, but never had any notions of performing. But when the Battle Force 5, an up and coming A Capella group, need his voice for a competition, he reluctantly agrees. It also helps that the other baritone is cute. Shenanigans ensue.
1. Prelude to War

Chapter 1. Prelude to War

The clock struck 5pm just as Vert pulled himself out from under the '84 convertible he had been working on. He tried to wipe the grease from his face with the towel draped over the toolbox and frowned when it only seemed to make things worse. He could hear his coworker snickering behind him.

"You do realize this means war." He said without turning.

"Bring it, Wheeler." He replied and Vert could practically hear the mischief dripping from his voice.

Okay, so maybe getting into a prank war with Axel wasn't the best idea, but he couldn't back out now. He would apologize to his boss later, and inevitably, his roommate when the war made it to their apartment. Vert wasn't going to cross that bridge until he had to.

He walked over to his own car, a '97 candy apple ragtop convertible, and checked it over carefully. Vert looked under each seat twice before turning to glare suspiciously at Axel, who only shrugged.

"Promise I didn't touch it!" He called out.

Vert checked the driver's seat one more time. He heard Axel mumble something, but chose to ignore it and hopped over the door into the seat. He started the engine, popped in the newest Lady Antebellum CD, and drove home with the wind in his hair and the greatest trio on the face of the Earth in his ears.

He was still humming the chorus to This City as he walked up the stairs to his second-floor apartment. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. His roommate was sitting at the counter, laptop open and in front of him. He had one earbud in while the other dangled loosely by his shoulder.

"Vert!" He said looking up from the computer screen. "Dude, what's up?"

Vert shrugged. "Not much." He would not mention the prank war. Not yet anyways. "Whatcha working on?"

"Trying to get a head start on my TPA. I'm supposed to write it _while_ I'm student teaching." He frowned. "Like I'll have time for _anything_ one I start that."

"What even is a TPA?"

"The thing that decides whether or not I can become a licensed teacher. Lesson plans for the entire semester. Classroom management strategies. Differentiation for students. I could go on. And it's supposed to be like 80-100 pages, Vert. Single spaced."

Vert shook his head. "That sounds like the actual worst. Good luck, AJ."

"Thanks, dude."

Vert had known AJ Dalton since they were kids. From digging for treasure in the backyard to strapping fireworks to their bikes, they'd done it all. Vert still had the scars from when they fought a raccoon for almost stealing AJ's dad's tailpipe. They'd gone off to college together, even if Vert had only lasted one semester before realizing it wasn't for him. It turned out well enough though. Vert got to tinker with cars all day and AJ was going to be an elementary school teacher.

"So," Vert said, "I'm thinking pizza tonight?"

"Dude, yes."

Vert pulled out his phone ready to call in their usual order. "Is Tezz coming over?"

As if on cue the door opened and Tezz walked inside. He threw his bookbag down, stomped over to AJ, and sat next to him with a huff.

AJ threw an arm around him. "What did the roommate do this time?"

"I have a list." Tezz said. "It's alphabetized."

"Seriously? Also, you cool with pizza?" Vert asked.

"Completely. And pizza is fine."

So, Vert called in the usual while half listening to Tezz list off all the things his roommate had done that day. The one time Vert had suggested he move out of the dorms, Tezz had glared at him so fiercely that he actually feared for his life. Apparently, the scholarship he had required him to live on campus in the dorms. It was a shitty move on the university part, but that's why Tezz had a key to their place. That and because he was dating AJ. They'd met during a group project in general psychology and just hit it off. That was four years ago. AJ had sworn him to secrecy under the threat of death, but Vert knew he planned on proposing before the new year. He tried not to think about how that would affect their living arrangements, even if Tezz practically lived with them already.

The pizza arrived quicker than usual and Vert was grateful for something else to think about. They ate in silence for about two minutes before AJ's phone buzzed.

"Yes!" He shouted throwing a fist in the air and causing both Vert and Tezz to jump. He whipped his computer back out.

"What is it?" Vert asked.

"New BF5 video!" AJ answered excitedly.

Vert rolled his eyes. "You mean those guys from MRU that do all the Lame cover songs?"

"They're not lame! They're awesome!"

"They don't even use real instruments."

"That's the whole point." AJ said matter-of-factly. "A Capella is all about the voice."

"Lame. With a capital L."

AJ stuck his tongue out. Vert rolled his eyes again and refocused on his pizza, deliberately ignoring all the delighted sounds AJ was making.

"I seem to recall _someone_ squealing like a small child when a certain trio announced a new album." Tezz said not looking up from his pizza.

Vert gasped offended. "Lady Antebellum is the greatest band to ever exist! Heart Break is one of their best albums yet!"

"And if BF5 covered one of their songs?"

"Don't say those words to me ever again, Tezz Volitov."

At this point AJ was laughing so hard Vert could see tears starting to form in his eyes. "Nice one, babe!" He kissed Tezz's cheek.

Vert huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm gonna go take a shower. Please have all clothes on by the time I'm back."

"You called my favorite group Lame. With a capital L. I'm making no promises."

Vert looked to Tezz. "Tezz, please."

Tezz simply shrugged.

Vert grabbed his iPod and waterproof speaker. This was going to be a long shower.


	2. Run to You

Chapter 2. Run to You

Vert sat on the couch in his apartment, his phone in hand and his guitar laid out next to him. It was his day off and AJ was still at class so he decided it was a good time to tune his guitar. Vert didn't really consider himself a serious musician. He'd initially picked it up to impress some girl back in high school, which didn't end up working, yet he stuck with it anyways. He knew chords and could play through a couple of songs, but that was about it. He could read chord charts sure, but he was lost on traditional sheet music. Not that that mattered to him. He was fine either way.

He pulled up the tuning app on his phone and set it on the coffee table. He picked up the guitar just as the first tone played from his phone. He plucked the string, heard it was a little wonky, tightened the peg, and plucked the string again. It was closer, but not quite there yet according to the app. The tone payed again.

AJ walked through the door just as Vert was about to test the string again.

"Dude! Get dressed!" He said. "We're going out!"

Vert eyed him skeptically. "Where?"

"Does it matter? It's a surprise!"

"AJ, last time you said that we spent the night in jail."

"Fine." AJ huffed and sat down next to him. "There's a talent competition up at school and Tezz is working in the sound booth, so I said we'd go."

"That's not the only reason, AJ. I can feel it." Vert said.

AJ threw his hands up. "All right! So, BF5 _might_ be in the lineup and I want you to see that they're not Lame with a capital L and prove you wrong once and for all."

Vert stared at him.

"Okay, I admit that was a little harsh. How about you're my best friend and I went with you to that car show a few weeks ago so please come to this with me?"

So, he was resorting to blackmail and puppy dog eyes now? It was a dirty trick, but one that was working apparently. Vert sighed and set down his guitar.

"Yeah!" AJ cheered. "It's gonna be so much fun, Vert! I promise!"

Vert let AJ talk the whole drive over. He stared out the window watching the streets lights fly past. AJ was speeding. He hadn't said the competition started in 30 minutes. Guess he didn't want to be late and miss the entire reason they were going in the first place. AJ whipped through a turn and Vert suddenly remembered why either he or Tezz usually drove. AJ was a terrible driver.

They made it into the parking lot with 7 minutes to spare. It took another 4 minutes to get inside and find seats. The auditorium was surprisingly full, but Tezz waved them over. He had saved seats for them in the front row. Great. He scolded AJ for being late before disappearing into the sound booth.

Vert thumbed through his program. BF5, short for Battle Force 5, he learned (and wow that name was shit), was about halfway down the list of acts. He sat back as the first performer wheeled onto stage on a unicycle with several large knives in their hands.

Okay, so maybe the night wouldn't be too bad.

Several disasters later, the lights in the auditorium dimmed. AJ bounced excitedly in his seat and hit Vert's arm to make sure he was paying attention. Vert hit him back. If it had been just another act, AJ would have hit him again. Instead he looked at the still darkened stage like a kid on Christmas morning. Several spotlights shone down. Vert turned his attention forward.

There were five of them on stage. Two red-heads that were probably twins, two brunets that looked they could be brothers despite the fact that the one towered over the other, and a black-haired boy who made Vert's breath catch in his throat even if he was wearing a ridiculous headband. They were dressed in all black save for a colored tie that glittered in the spotlight. The one standing on one end, the red-head with a purple sparkling tie, looked at the others and quietly counted.

"One, two, three..."

" _A light in the room, it was you who was standing there._

 _Tried it was true as your glance met my stare._

 _But your heart drifted off, like the land split by sea._

 _I tried to go, to follow, to kneel down at your feet..."_

Vert watched completely enraptured. It was absolutely amazing the way their voices fit together. The song was unfamiliar to him, but that didn't matter. It was stunning and he couldn't take his eyes off them.

" _I'll run, I'll run_

 _I'll run, run to you_

 _I'll run, I'll run_

 _I'll run, run to you, oh..."_

The song grew softer, softer until he could barely hear it, then swelled and filled the whole room with a sort of energy that left him breathless.

" _I will break down the gates of heaven,_

 _A thousand angels stand waiting for me._

 _Take my heart and I lay down my weapons,_

 _Break my shackles to set me free._

 _I'll run, I'll run_

 _I'll run, run to you_

 _I'll run, I'll run_

 _I'll run, run to you..._

 _Mmh-mmh…"_

After the thunderous applause, Vert sat back in his chair speechless. AJ nudged his shoulder and he turned to see a shit-eating grin plastered on AJ's face.

"Don't you fucking dare," Vert whispered viciously as the next act took the stage.

AJ smirked. Vert spent the rest of the show pointedly ignoring him and memorizing the program instead. He flipped to the page detailing the BF5.

" _The Battle Force 5 are an aspiring a Capella group. Founded by members Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV and Zoom Takazumi in 2014, the current group has been together for two years and hope to attract the attention of a record label in an upcoming battle of the bands contest this December._

 _Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV, Senior-Recording Arts, Contratenor_

 _Spinner Cortez, Senior- Computer Science, Tenor/Beatboxer_

 _Simon Ian Rhodes II, Alumni, Baritone_

 _Zoom Takazumi, Freshman- Fine Arts, Baritone_

 _Sherman Cortez, Junior- Engineering/Computer Science, Bass."_

Two years. That would explain why they sounded so amazing. And Vert had been right about there being two sets of brothers. That meant the black-haired boy with the headband, the cute one, had to be Zoom. He could figure out the names of the others later. The judges were on stage and about to announce the winner.

Of course, the BF5 won. It would have been ridiculous if they hadn't. The judges offered them a chance to do an encore. Whispers were exchanged as they decided what song to perform. They turned back towards the audience.

" _Is this the real life?_

 _Is this just fantasy?_

 _Caught in a landslide,_

 _No escape from reality…"_

If the first song hadn't proved how good they were, then this one certainly did. Vert's jaw might have actually dropped when the red-head with the purple tie hit that high note, but he closed it quickly and hoped AJ didn't notice. He was never going to hear the end of that. The song finished and again was met with thunderous applause.

"So," AJ suddenly turned to him. "What did you think, Vert? Be honest."

Vert shook his head.

"C'mon, Vert! Tell meeee!"

"They're okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yep."

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Really? Cause when I looked over at you, you looked like you were having an out of body experience."

"I guess cute guys with silly headbands just do that to me," Vert said without missing a beat. AJ stared at him and it was then Vert realized what he'd said. "Why don't we go?" He suggested. "It's getting late."

"Or we could have Tezz sneak us backstage so you can ask Zoom out."

"AJ, no."

"AJ, yes."

Vert ended up winning when Tezz showed up several moments later also announcing he was ready to leave and that he planned on doing so with them. AJ sighed and pulled out his keys. Tezz shot Vert a dirty look for letting AJ drive. Vert shrugged. Payback, he figured, for all the times he caught them on the couch. They drove back in relative silence.

Later that night though, when Vert was in his room with the door closed and his earbuds in, he pulled up the Battle Force 5 YouTube channel. He settled in with their music, drifting, half asleep, into dreams filled with a Capella and pretty boys in silly headbands.


	3. Potential Break-Up Song

Chapter 3. Potential Break-Up Song

Stanford paced the length of the practice room. He stopped, checked his phone, glared at it, and continued pacing. While it was typical for Simon to be a little late to rehearsals, it wasn't like him to be nearly three hours late to rehearsal. Stanford had tried calling, texting, Face Timing- no answer. He'd had Zoom, Sherman, Spinner, even Viv and Agura try to get a hold of him, but with no luck. Simon wasn't answering anyone.

They'd practiced without him, running individual parts hoping he'd show so they could put it all together in one long run through and work out the kinks from there. Not to mention they still had choreography to figure out, what line up they would stand in for the best sound; they hadn't even decided on a third song yet for the final round of the competition! Sure, they had until December, but Stanford didn't want to push it.

He checked his phone again.

"Fuck!"

"Still nothing?" Zoom asked popping up from his seat on the piano bench.

"Yep." Stanford confirmed. "Nothing." He turned to the Cortez brothers. "You guys hear anything?"

"Nope." Spinner said popping the p. Sherman just shook his head not looking up from the homework he'd pulled out.

Stanford huffed. He opened his mouth to say another thing about his brother when all their phones went off.

It was Simon in the group chat.

 _Simon: Cheers mates! The brilliantly talented Simon Ian Rhodes is moving up in the world! I've been called to star in a little Hallmark movie about the true meaning of Christmas or something. Doesn't matter. Filming starts right away so consider this my resignation from BF5. I quit. Cheers!_

"I'm gonna fucking murder him!" Stanford shouted while dialing Simon's number. The call went straight to voicemail. He tried again. Voicemail. Stanford almost threw his phone. So, Simon was going to ignore his calls after that? Fine. He blocked his brother's number.

"Sooo, what do we do now?" Spinner asked.

"I don't know," Stanford said exasperated. "We can figure something out later. Right now, I need to get out of here."

Without further explanation, he turned on his heel and practically fled the practice room.

...

Zeke's was a small restaurant just outside of town. It was retro themed, complete with license plates and classic car parts along the walls as well as an old jukebox in the corner. Stanford sat on one of the stools along the counter playing with the straw in his half-drunk milkshake, his other elbow on the countertop, chin resting in his palm.

He and the others given Simon an ultimatum in the group chat. _"You have twenty minutes to reply before we're officially kicking you out of BF5 and out of the group chat."_ That was twenty-five minutes ago. Simon was out and BF5 was down a member with a competition in two and a half months. Stanford took a long drink of his milkshake. They were colossally fucked.

The bell on the door chirped alerting Stanford he wasn't alone in the diner anymore. He continued to drink his milkshake.

"Aren't you lactose intolerant?"

"I'm wallowing, Viv." Stanford said turning to her. "Let me wallow in peace."

Viv brushed a stray blonde curl behind her ear. "I heard what happened. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Thanks. Sorry doesn't solve our problem though."

"I know."

"I always knew my brother was an ass," Stanford turned back to the counter. "But I didn't think he'd do _this._ "

"Really? We're talking about the same Simon, right?" Viv asked. "Older, slightly taller, changed his major at least six times when he got caught up in the next hottest thing? That Simon?"

"Point taken," Stanford grumbled taking another sip of his milkshake. "So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"Two things. Either find someone better than Simon, or drop out of the competition," she said.

"The registration fee is non-refundable."

"So, the first one then."

Stanford sighed. "I guess. But where are we going to find someone new on such short notice?"

"Ask around the music department," Viv suggested. "I'm sure there's someone who can easily replace Simon."

Stanford thought for a moment. He turned back to Viv. "What about you? You could sing Simon's part in your sleep."

"Stanford, you know I can't."

"Why not?" He whined.

She gave him a flat look. "You mean on top of Chorale, my voice lesson, piano lesson, cello lesson, rehearsals for my two-and-a-half-hour senior performance recital, and singing for your senior project?"

Upon hearing her schedule, Stanford made a face. That and the two milkshakes were finally catching up with him. "So, the guys and I will find someone."

"Good plan."

"Yep. Now," he said rising from his seat, "if you'll excuse me, those milkshakes are starting to kick in."

"Milkshakes? As in plural?" He could practically feel the disapproval in her tone.

"I was wallowing, Viv!" He clutched his gurgling stomach and ran for the bathroom. She shouted something after him, but he didn't hear it. Just like his brother, the milkshakes were definitely a mistake.


	4. Help!

Chapter 4. Help!

Stanford sat on the couch in Viv and Agura's apartment, music theory homework in his lap half-finished and half-forgotten. He couldn't care less about polychords if he tried. Not when he was still thinking about the disastrous auditions he and Zoom had sat through earlier.

Only four people had showed up, two of which were already in chorale with them. The choir members had been decent enough, but neither of their voices would fit well with the BF5. The third guy couldn't carry a tune and the last claimed to be a soprano, but definitely wasn't and sounded like plastic nails on a chalkboard.

A non-refundable registration fee. Two and a half months. Stanford was sufficiently panicked.

"You know, half those polychords are wrong." Viv said moving from her chair to sit beside him.

"You know I don't give a fuck about those polychords." Stanford replied dryly.

"Yeah," she snatched his paper and started erasing. "But I want you to pass this class, so." Her sentence trailed off.

"Well, he's not gonna pass if you keep doing his homework." Agura said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not! I'm just erasing the wrong ones! It's a gentle nudge in the right direction."

"You should try a shove."

Stanford looked at her, offended. "Rude." Agura shrugged and turned back to her own homework.

"Still thinking about the auditions?" Viv asked him.

Stanford nodded. "Auditions, the competition, the colossal asshat that is my brother whose name I refuse to say."

"Have you talked to him at all?"

"No. I blocked his number."

"That's fair."

"At least you think so." Stanford leaned back into the couch. "My parents don't understand. They think I'm blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Sebastian is trying, but he' in the middle of the ocean doing Navy shit, so I don't think he really cares."

Viv frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." He looked down at the homework she'd placed back in his lap.

"So, you really won't take Simon's place?"

"No, Stanford."

He shrugged. "It was worth a shot. Maybe Tezz knows someone."

...

" _The events that took place aboard Colonial One are unfortunate. Laura Roslin's actions in subordinating mutiny and sedition among the military could not be tolerated, therefore Commander Adama was left with no other choice than to remove her from office. Miss Roslin is now resting comfortable aboard this ship, where she will remain until such time as the Commander deems otherwise. As it appears obvious that the government cannot function under the current circumstances, I have decided to dissolve the Quorum of Twelve and as of this moment I have declared martial law."_

Tezz was curled up next to AJ on the couch as the final moments of _Battlestar Galactica_ played on the television. He could hear AJ sniffling again. He grabbed the remote off the coffee table and paused the DVD before the next episode started.

"You're crying again." He said to AJ. "I don't understand. No one dies in this episode."

AJ rubbed his eyes. "But- But Colonel Tigh declared martial law!"

"And?"

"It's a bad idea, Tezz!" AJ's lower lip quivered. "Bad things are gonna happen because of it."

Tezz sighed. Well, he wasn't wrong. "Do you want to take a break?"

"PLEASE."

Tezz sighed again. He would have to ward AJ before the Gideon episode, maybe before Pegasus too.

"It's a good show," AJ said, starting to recover. "I can see why you like it so much. It's just so sad."

Tezz opened his mouth to speak, but AJ cut him off. "We're gonna finish it, Tezz. I'm emotionally invested in the characters and the story."

"All right." Tezz reached for his phone which was also on the coffee table and scowled at the amount of notifications it had acquired.

"What's wrong?" AJ asked.

"Stanford." Tezz replied. AJ's eyes lit up. "He wants to know if I know anyone who could fill Simon's place in BF5."

"What? Simon quit? When did that happen?"

Tezz frowned. "Yes. Evidentially, no one outside a select few have been informed yet."

"I won't say anything!" AJ said quickly. "But don't they have a competition coming up?"

"Precisely why Stanford has taken it upon himself to text me thirty-seven times."

"Well, do you know anyone?"

"No."

The front door opened and Vert walked inside.

"I don't know if I should be relieved that you're not making out or concerned that you're watching _Battlestar Galactica_." He said.

Tezz glared at him. "Don't underestimate what I'm capable of."

Vert took several steps back.

"Hey, what about Vert?" AJ suddenly asked.

Tezz looked at him surprised. "That's actually not a bad idea."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Vert rapidly approached the couch. "What are we volunteering Vert for?"

"BF5, dude!" AJ said excitedly. "One of them quit right before a huge competition! They need you!"

Vert shook his head. "No way."

"Why not? You have a great voice?"

"That's not the point, AJ. I'm not a musician."

"But you could be!"

Vert was quiet for a moment. "You know what, AJ? Maybe I will think about it."

"Really?"

"No." Vert walked into the bathroom and closed the door roughly behind him. Minutes later the shower started up.

AJ huffed and leaned back onto the couch, his arms crossed. He looked over at Tezz. "Let's watch another one."


	5. Magic Spell

Chapter 5. Magic Spell

It was two days after AJ had mentioned that BF5 needed a new member that he walked by Vert's room and heard him attempting to sing one of BF5's songs that was on YouTube. Vert had groaned, said "Fuck it!" and something crashed on the other side of the room. Convinced that Vert had in fact been trying to record some kind of audition for BF5, AJ resoled to help his best friend. Even if it required some… unconventional methods. He was going to need Tezz's help.

The next day Vert had come home covered in what looked to be a mix of oil, grease, and baby powder. AJ opened his mouth to say something, but Vert shushed him and immediately headed for the bathroom. AJ waited until he heard the door slam before pulling out his phone.

 _What did you and Axel do?_ He texted Tezz.

 _Tezz: Physics experiment. He was very eager to help me test it._

 _AJ: I'm not even gonna ask._

It was two days after the Incident as Vert had called it that he told AJ about the prank war.

"I need yours and Tezz's help to really get Axel back," Vert said, sitting down on the couch and leaned his guitar against the coffee table. "I know he didn't come up with that last one alone. Probably that boyfriend of his."

AJ nodded, deciding it was best not to mention that it was actually Tezz helping him. "Count me in, dude. I don't know about Tezz though."

"Tell him I'm willing to do anything."

AJ winced. "That's a dangerous statement."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Vert leaned down and grabbed his guitar.

"Vert Wheeler," AJ said, whipping out his phone and hitting record. "What are you going to sing for us today?

Vert stared at him. "Dude, really? Every time?"

"Aww, c'mon." AJ pouted. "You know my mom loves hearing you play." That much was true. But AJ wasn't recording this video for his mom.

Vert continued to glare at him.

"Dude. She'll send us more brownies."

"Fine." Vert huffed. "But only because of the brownies."

"So, what song is it?"

"Magic Spell by Mark Hildreth."

...

Tezz sat on the couch in Stanford's apartment, his phone in his hand, trying to drown out the chatter of everyone around him. When he told Stanford that he might know someone to replace Simon, Stanford had gotten so excited that he'd called the others over to come and listen to Tezz's friend.

"Did he send it yet?" Stanford asked excitedly, trying to look at the phone over Tezz's shoulder.

"Stanford. I will tell you when AJ sends the video." Tezz said, scooting away from him. "Until then please keep your voice down ad your shaking the couch to a minimum."

"Sorry, Tezz. I'm just excited."

"Understandably."

Tezz's phone went off and he could see Stanford attempting to look uninterested.

"Stanford."

"Hmm? Yes, Tezz?"

"It's the video."

Stanford launched himself at Tezz while Zoom, Sherman, and Spinner all crowded around behind them. Tezz, resigned to his fate of being stuck between all of them, pressed play.

" _Vert Wheeler, what are you going to sing for us today?_

" _Dude, really? Every time?"_

" _Aww, c'mon. You know my mom loves hearing you play."_

" _Dude. She'll send us more brownies."_

" _Fine. But only because of the brownies."_

" _So, what song is it?"_

" _Magic Spell by Mark Hildreth."_

" _If I could bring the world light  
With a magic spell  
If I could only see the sight  
I would try like hell  
If I could make something right  
It might parallel  
I would try like hell  
With my magic spell_

 _I'm gonna live my life  
Like there's no-one to blame  
Wasting time  
Is a crying shame  
Little yellow world  
You're gonna know my name  
And I want you to see  
That it's you and me_

 _A paradise  
Of telling lies  
Well I built my life  
Around you  
Paralyzed  
Heaven dies  
You gotta build your life  
Around truth_

 _I'm gonna live my life  
Like there's no-one to blame  
Wasting time  
Is a crying shame  
Little yellow world  
You're gonna know my name  
And I want you to see  
That it's you and me_

 _Oh, to cast my magic spell  
It falls on us like rain  
It's so hard for you to see  
Just a piece of my mind  
But I'm trying it again_

 _I'm gonna live my life  
Like there's no-one to blame  
Wasting time  
Is a crying shame  
You're my little girl  
And if it's all the same  
Well, I want you to see  
That it's you and me."_

As soon as the video ended, Stanford leapt from the couch and proceeded to dance around the living room.

"That's him!" He exclaimed. "He's the one, Tezz! He's perfect!"

"That's gay, Stanford." Zoom said. "And I would know because I am. But yeah, I agree."

"I'm bi, Zoom. So, it's okay."

Tezz rolled his eyes at them. "His name is Vert Wheeler."

"Vert Wheeler." Spinner repeated. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"He looks kind of familiar too," Sherman added.

"Figure that out later," Stanford said. "What do you think about him replacing Simon?"

Sherman and Spinner looked at each other, nodded, then turned back to Stanford. "Yeah. We like him."

Stanford grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. "This is perfect! Tezz, can I have his number?"

...

Vert was in the middle of pulling a hot pocket out of the microwave when his phone went off. He finished putting it on a plate and grabbed the phone off the counter.

It was a text from a number he didn't know.

 _(xxx)-xxx-xxxx: Hello there! My name's Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV from the a Capella group Battle Force 5. I'm contacting you to let you know that we saw your cover of Magic Spell and would like to formally offer you a spot within the BF5! You can call or text be back at this number whenever it's convenient for you! Have a wonderful rest of your day!_

Vert stared at the message for several minutes. "What the fuck?" He whispered to himself. "How the-" Realization dawned on him. AJ. He turned to AJ, still sitting on the couch, and whipped the hot pocket at him. "AIDAN JAMES DALTON! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"


	6. I Don't Mind Singing

Chapter 6. I Don't Mind Singing

Vert laid on his bed staring up at the ceiling like he had been for the past several hours. After getting that text, he'd retreated to his room and locked the door. Surprisingly, AJ had left him alone. It was probably because of the hot pocket. Somewhere, deep down, Vert hoped it hadn't burned him too badly. But for now, he couldn't bring himself to care. AJ had kind of deserved it for going behind his back like that.

Vert rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. He still hadn't responded to the text. It would be so easy to grab his phone off the nightstand and text back that he wasn't interested. But he was interested and that was the problem. He wasn't good enough to sing with the BF5. He would only drag them down and this whole thing would end in disaster.

Still, they had gotten his number and asked for him by name. Maybe this would be a disaster, but he wouldn't know unless he tried. He reached for his phone and lifted his face from the pillow.

 _Hey, sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I thought about it and I'll do it. If you still need to._ Vert pressed send and held his breath. It was a quarter after one, but the reply came instantly.

 _(xxx)-xxx-xxxx: Yes! You're in! This is perfect! Can you meet us up at the university tomorrow around noon?_

Vert thought for a minute. He didn't have to work until three tomorrow. _Sure. I can do that._

 _(xxx)-xxx-xxxx: Perfect! I'll give you an exact location tomorrow morning! See you then!_

...

It was fifteen minutes until noon when AJ dropped him off at the music building on campus. Vert thought about apologizing for the hot pocket when he saw the burn on AJ's face, and then decided against it when AJ started driving. Whoever had signed off on his driver's license needed to be shot.

Equipped with nothing but his phone and slight car sickness, Vert made his way towards the room Stanford had texted him earlier. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

It was Stanford, he assumed, that opened the door.

"Come in!" he said in an overly cheerful English accent. "This is so exciting!"

Vert just nodded along as he spoke.

"So, I'm Stanford and this is Zoom." Stanford gestured towards the boy with the black hair and the ridiculous headband. Zoom smiled at him and Vert suddenly remembered him very well from the hours spent watching that cheeky Christmas song about being bad that he sang the lead on. Vert smiled back, hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt.

Stanford didn't seem to notice. "And this is Sherman," the taller of the two brothers nodded, "and Spinner." The shorter brother, Spinner, did finger guns at him.

"They're twins." Stanford added, and Vert did a double-take. They had to be fucking with him.

"It's true." Sherman said.

"And I'm the older brother!" Spinner added triumphantly.

Vert stared at them unsure of whether to actually believe them or not. Meanwhile, Stanford threw an arm around Vert's shoulders. "So, do you have any questions?"

Vert thought for a minute. He did have several questions, one in particular that he was curious about, but he wasn't sure if he should ask it. Especially since it was about the guy who quit. He decided against that and chose something only slightly safer.

"I guess, how is this all supposed to work?"

"Hmm..." Stanford hummed, his arm dropping from Vert's shoulders. "Do you now the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen? The one that was in Shrek."

"Yeah."

"Start singing it."

Vert eyed him skeptically.

"Trust me." Stanford said, and the others nodded.

Vert, still looking at Stanford like was slightly crazy, started singing anyways.

" _I've heard there was a secret chord,_

 _That David played and it pleased the Lord._

 _But you don't really care for music, do you?"_

The others had joined in now, filling in wordlessly the chords that had been missing when it had just been him singing.

"Keep going," Stanford mouthed, looking extremely pleased and Vert launched into the next phrase with more confidence.

" _Well, it goes like this:_

 _The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift,_

 _The baffled king composing hallelujah._

 _Hallelujah,_

 _Hallelujah,_

 _Hallelujah,_

 _Hallelujah…"_

Stanford stopped them after that, but he was grinning like the fucking Cheshire cat on steroids.

"Dude!" Zoom said nearly dropping to the ground. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah!" Spinner added. "Simon who?"

"Simon, _whom._ " Sherman corrected him.

"Fuck off, Sherman."

Vert was trying not to laugh. Maybe this wouldn't be a total disaster.

"Here," Stanford said, handing Vert a large stack of papers. "These are for you. All the music we're currently working on."

Vert took the stack of papers, suddenly feeling very intimidated. "So, uh, I don't actually know how to read sheet music," he admitted.

"Oh."

This was it. His time with the BF5 over before it even had the chance to begin. Vert braced himself for the rejection.

"We can make it work!" Stanford said quickly. "We'll play through the parts at the first rehearsal. Then we can record your part, so you can learn and practice that way!"

"Are you sure?" Vert asked. It seemed like a lot of extra work on his behalf.

"We're kind of desperate at this point, so yeah."

Classes were starting back up soon, so Sherman and Spinner had to leave. They said a quick goodbye and promised to see him at rehearsal on Thursday before walking out of the room. Vert checked the time. It was almost one-thirty.

"I'm gonna have to go too," he said. "I have work at three and AJ has to take me back to apartment."

Stanford nodded. "Sure! Where do you work? We'll drop off the recording, so you can get a head start."

"Spectra Motors. It's a small auto shop outside town."

"You're kidding?"

"No?"

"Dude, we all go there for repairs." Stanford said. "How have we not met before?"

Vert shrugged, ignoring his phone vibrating violently in his pocket. "I don't know, but I really have to go now. AJ is blowing up my phone."

"All right! See you later!"

...

Vert was getting ready to close up shop when he heard the telltale signs of a motorcycle pulling up. He stepped outside the garage. The bike was a sleek black with yellow detailing along the front body and back onto the seat. It was a gorgeous bike, a Kawasaki Ninja, and Vert felt privileged just to see it. The driver took off their helmet. It was Zoom. So, not only was he cute and could sing, but he could drive a motorcycle too. Vert swallowed hard. He was so fucked.

Zoom waved at him. Vert walked over. "Hey, Vert! Look what I've got!" He was waving around a CD case.

Well that was fast, Vert thought. He took the CD from Zoom. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem!" Zoom said, smiling. "It's gonna sound weird because it's just your part being sung, oh and it's me singing it by the way, so yeah. Officially we're registered to perform Hallelujah at the competition, so you should learn that one first. Then if we make it to the next round, we're planning on Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. We haven't decided on a song for the finals round if we make it that far, but now that there's five of us again it shouldn't be too hard!"

Vert stared at him. "What the fuck is a Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy?"

"It's a classic!" Zoom protested, arms folded across his chest. "By the Andrews Sisters. Though no offense to them, I like our arrangement better."

Vert just nodded. "Okay."

"Oh yeah and you've gotta learn Jolene really well too." Zoom added. "We're doing that one with Viv in her senior recital. You'll meet her at some point."

"Sounds like fun."

"Yeah. She's pretty cool. But I'm gonna let you get back to closing, so see you Thursday!" Zoom put his helmet back on and waved to Vert again before speeding off.

Vert watched him go. He walked back into the garage and locked the door behind him. Since he was the only one closing that day, he pulled out his phone, opened YouTube, typed "boogie woogie bugle boy andrews sisters" into the search bar, and watched the first video that came up. When it was over, he stared at the blank screen unsure of how to feel about what he'd just watched.

"What the fuck have I gotten myself into." He mumbled and started cleaning.


	7. Do-Re-Mi

Chapter 7. Do-Re-Mi

Thursday rolled around quicker that Vert thought it would. He'd listened to the CD Zoom had given him every chance he got. It was even ripped to his computer and uploaded onto his iPod. There were seven songs total. The first three on the disc took priority. Even though he couldn't properly read it, Vert was grateful for the sheet music because he could follow along with the words, or lack of. Music was weird. This music was weird.

"AJ!" Vert called out. "I'm heading out now!"

"Have fun!" came AJ's muffled reply from his bedroom.

Vert rolled his eyes and headed out the door. He popped the CD into the stereo, letting it fill his ears one more time as he drove to campus. He was humming along to Take On Me as he pulled into Mobius Royal University. Vert checked AJ's parking permit to make sure he was in the correct lot. He wasn't about to get towed for parking in the wrong place, even if classes were finished for the day. Security Officer Johnson was ruthless like that, AJ had told him after being towed three separate times that semester. Though Vert suspected that had more to do with the fact that AJ couldn't fucking park, but still he wasn't taking any chances.

Unfortunately for him, AJ's permit didn't extend to the Fine Arts building, so Vert would have to walk. He adjusted the messenger bag slung across his chest, following the online campus map so as to not get lost on his first day of rehearsals. Thankfully, the building was easy to find as was the room they were practicing in. Vert could hear the delicate sounds of the piano drifting through the closed door. He opened it slowly, so he wouldn't disrupt whoever was playing and stepped inside the practice room.

Zoom smiled when he saw him come in and tapped Stanford, who was the one playing, on the shoulder. Stanford turned his back to the piano.

"Perfect timing!" He said, looking at Vert. "We're just waiting for the Cortez brothers, but since we're just playing notes, we can start a little early."

"Sure," Vert nodded. "By the way, what were you playing? It sounded really nice."

"Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata." Stanford answered. "Viv can play it way better than I can, but thanks for the compliment!"

"To be fair though, she is playing it in her recital." Zoom added. "So, of course she has to be better at it than you."

"That's true." Stanford said and turned back to the piano. He beckoned Vert over with one hand while the other played the opening notes to Hallelujah. "Let's get started."

Vert grabbed his music out of his bag before setting it down and walking over to the piano. Stanford would play a line first just so Vert could get it in his ears before singing over it a few times with the piano, and then a few times without the piano. Sherman and Spinner had come in sometime during this, and together with Zoom the three of them quietly hummed along as he and Stanford worked. Alone, he did fine. Putting all five parts together was another story. It was easy for Vert to get lost in the nonsense syllables of the different harmonies happening around him when he was no longer singing the actual words of the song. They only managed to get through when Stanford played his part while they sang. Vert tried not to get too frustrated. After all, these guys had months of practice time before he showed up.

Zoom suggested they try a different song and everyone agreed. Vert was grateful for the change. At least, he was until they started. It wasn't just notes they expected him to learn, but now he had to dance too? Between the rapid pace of the words, the shoulder bops, and the invisible air trumpet, he really fucking hated Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.

Vert checked his watch. They still had an hour to go.

...

Stanford was sprawled across the couch in Viv and Agura's apartment, one arm laying over the back of the couch and the other dragging on the carpet. He was still frustrated over the day's disastrous rehearsal.

"It was bad, Viv," he told her. "I know it was the first rehearsal, but God it was bad." Viv just nodded along as he spoke, quietly sipping from the mug in her hands. "I mean, how hard can it be to follow along with the words in front of you and when your part is being played? I was practically spoon-feeding it to him."

Viv set the mug down on the coffee table. "Are you done?" She asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Good." She said. "Now you can stop being an ass."

Stanford looked at her like she was insane. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're being an ass about this."

"How?"

She gave him a flat look. "Seriously? You said it yourself, it was only the first rehearsal. You, Zoom, Sherman, and Spinner have been working together for years. He's new to this. Give it time."

Stanford opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "I know what you're gonna say, but don't. Yeah you have a competition, but it's not the end of the world if you don't do well. You guys need time to adjust. Get to know each other. Don't be another Simon."

Stanford was quiet for several minutes. "You're right." He admitted. "As usual."

She smiled triumphantly. "Now, invite him and his roommate to pizza at Zeke's tomorrow."

"Why the roommate too?" Stanford asked, confused.

"Because him and Tezz are the reason you met Vert in the first place." She said. "And you know Spinner's gonna ask to bring Axel."

"True."

"Plus, I want to go too."

"Of course you do."

"And Agura if I can drag her."

"Fine." Stanford huffed and pulled out his phone to text Vert. It took a couple minutes for him to get a response. "You win. Zeke's tomorrow. Three o'clock. Be there."


	8. All Together Now

Chapter 8. All Together Now

The clock on Vert's convertible read 2:56pm as he, AJ, and Tezz pulled into the parking lot of Zeke's Diner.

"Dude!" AJ said excitedly, causing the whole vehicle to shake. "This is so exciting!"

Tezz braced himself against the seat, one hand against the door and the other gripping his seatbelt. "AJ, please. We're not even parked yet."

"Sorry, Tezz."

Vert ignored them. He was surprised by the number of cars currently in the lot. Stanford did say he had invited a few other people. There were five other vehicles besides his own. Vert recognized Zoom's motorcycle among them. He wasn't sure who the other motorcycle belonged to, but he could tell that it was custom built and had features he didn't recognize despite the fact that he worked in an auto shop. It was also parked in one of the accessible spots and indeed had an accessible plate on it. Weird, but Vert wasn't going to question it. Then there was a standard Jeep and a sleek, blue SUV parked next to each other. Vert ended up parking next to whoever owned the fucking purple Lamborghini. Life just wasn't fair.

A little bell sounded as Vert pushed open the door to the diner and stepped inside.

"Vert!" Zoom waved at him from a large booth across the restaurant. "Over here!"

Vert walked over to where Zoom and the others were, AJ and Tezz trailing behind him. He was almost at the table when he saw a familiar flash of ridiculously styled brown hair and jumped away from the table.

"Axel Scott!" He half-shouted. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Axel whipped around, his grey eyes wide. "Vert? What the fuck? Why are you here?"

"I asked you first!"

"I asked you second!"

Spinner looked between the two of them. "You two know each other?"

"Yeah," Axel said. "We work together. But it still doesn't explain why you're here, Wheeler."

"Excuse you, but I'm the newest member of Battle Force 5." Vert told him while gesturing towards Zoom and Stanford wildly. "So, why are you here?"

"Because I'm dating this one," Jax pointed to Spinner who nodded.

Vert turned to Spinner. "Spinner, what the fuck?"

Spinner held up one finger. "In my defense, I've been dating him for like two years and I've known you for like two days."

"Fair." Vert said. "But you were the one who helped with that spring-loaded baby powder, oil bomb!"

"Actually, that was Tezz." Axel pointed out. "But you," he turned to AJ, "were the one that helped with the honey, Nutella, and peanut butter mix that also happened to be a sprinkle and glitter grenade!"

"That was also Tezz." As soon as the words were out of his mouth both he and Axel turned to glare at Tezz.

Tezz shrugged. "I live for chaos." He said in a monotone voice. Beside him, AJ was trying not to laugh.

"Right then," Stanford clasped his hands together on the table. "Uh, glad we got that out of the way. Go ahead and have a seat."

Sherman, Spinner, and Axel moved so Vert, AJ, and Tezz could slide into the booth. Vert ended up in the corner, between Zoom and AJ. Sherman and a very petite blonde girl Vert didn't recognize were seated on either end of the booth. Next to the petite blonde was another girl who was pretty much the exact opposite: toned, black, and very intimidating. Vert was trying not to stare at the two of them, but at this point, they were the only ones at the table that he didn't know. The black girl punched Stanford's arm.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, rubbing the spot she had just hit. "What was that for?"

She gestured towards Vert. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Right." Stanford said, embarrassed. "Vert, uh, Vert's roommate-"

"AJ." AJ interrupted him.

"AJ. Thank you. This is Agura." He gestured to the girl who had just punched him. "And Viv." He gestured towards the petite blonde. "And then you already know Jax, so." His voice trailed off.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Viv said, smiling. "Stanford's been talking about you non-stop since he saw that video."

Vert nodded. "Oh. So, then how long have you been together?"

Viv and Stanford exchanged looks. "Us? No way." She said at the same time Stanford said, "Viv and I are not dating."

Okay, so Vert fucked that up. He was done talking for a while.

"How did you meet each other then?" AJ asked.

"We're both music majors, so we've been in a lot of the same classes," Stanford explained.

"Cool. What about you, Agura?"

"I'm a Zoology major, but Viv and I are roommates." She said. "I'm just kind of stuck with Stanford."

"Hey! I thought we were friends, Agura."

"Only in your dreams."

Stanford sat back in the booth with his arms crossed. Zoom patted his shoulder and then turned to Vert. "So, we know you work with Axel, but do you go to school at all?"

Vert shook his head. "I did for a semester, but it wasn't for me. I would have dropped out sooner if I hadn't been cast in the musical that year."

"What musical?" Sherman asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

Vert felt his cheeks grow hot. "Uh, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I was the youngest brother."

Sherman's fist slammed down on the table causing the whole booth to shake. "I fucking knew it!"

"Sherman, what the fuck?" Spinner shouted at him.

"I knew you looked familiar," Sherman continued, ignoring his brother. "I was in that musical. I was the oldest brother, Adam! And Viv was Millie!"

Viv nodded. "Yeah! And then I introduced you and Spinner to Stanford."

"Exactly!"

"Wait a minute," Spinner said, looking between his brother and Vert. "You're telling me that you two got cast as brothers?"

"Blind casting. If I'm remembering right, that wasn't the worst casting decision." Vert told them. "There was that carrot-top, Ed Sheeran-looking motherfucker who was one of the brothers too."

"I'm ninety-percent sure that's my brother Simon you're talking about." Stanford chimed in.

"I'm so sorry," Vert said with fake sincerity. "If it's any consolation, you're much better looking than he is."

Stanford shrugged. "I'll take it."

"This conversation got really weird really fast. Maybe we should just go back to talking about everyone's majors." Agura suggested.

"I'll go!" Zoom volunteered. "I'm an Art major."

Vert turned to him, unable to resist. "Art major? _Draw me like one of your French girls._ "

"Okay." Zoom said and produced a sketch boo out of nowhere.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah!" Zoom was already flipping through the pages. "I could always use another model."

Vert looked to AJ for help, but AJ was trying not to laugh. "Uh…"

Zoom huffed. "Come on, it's not that weird. Just ask Sherman."

Sherman nodded, and Viv choked on the water she had just started to drink. Zoom and Stanford exchanged a look.

"A little thirsty there, Viv?" Stanford asked playfully. Zoom snickered.

"I'm gonna fucking murder you, Stanford." She rasped, still couching, her cheeks and tips of her ears bright red.

Stanford just smirked in response while the rest of the table, minus Sherman who was the only one concerned that someone was choking, dissolved into quiet laughter that had Vert wondering what he was missing.

The waitress eventually came out to take orders and they spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know one another. Vert learned that Sherman and Spinner really were twins, that Stanford and Zoom had gone to the same high school, that Agura did off-road racing in her spare time, that the custom bike he'd seen in the parking lot belonged to Viv and that it was all hand-controlled because as Viv had put it, "she couldn't fucking walk." They stayed well past what anyone would stay at a restaurant and Vert wondered why no one had kicked them out yet. Then again, they were the only people currently in the diner and the desert menu was being passed around.

Zoom leaned over to Vert. "I suggest the apple pie." He said quietly as Stanford and Viv argued about milkshakes.

"I don't know if I could finish the whole thing." Vert whispered back.

"We could share it." Zoom's cheeks flushed almost immediately after he'd said it. Vert could feel his own cheeks heating up. AJ gently nudged him.

"Sure."

The deserts came around and Vert was glad he and Zoom weren't the only ones sharing. Though, Vert wasn't sure how much more of the PDA he could take. AJ and Tezz he was used to. Theirs was subtle. Spinner and Axel was weird just because he knew Axel from work and was seeing a whole new side to him. Sherman and Viv were probably the worst and they were sitting across the table from each other.

"Those two are dating, right?" Vert whispered to Zoom.

Zoom let out the most exasperated sigh. "Don't we all fucking wish."

Everyone's reactions to the sketch book fiasco suddenly made sense. Vert looked between them confused.

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Zoom said.

The rest of the meal was finished in relative silence. Phone numbers were exchanged and compiled into a group text labeled "Shenanigan Squad" at Spinner's instance of the name. The sun was setting as everyone piled into whatever vehicle they had arrived.

"See you Tuesday, Vert!" Zoom called out before he put on his helmet and drove off. Vert smiled, climbing into his own car not bothering with the door since the top was down. AJ was leaning between the seats, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Vert cut him off.

"Not one fucking word, AJ."


	9. Will You Teach Me?

Chapter 9. Will You Teach Me?

After the lunch outing on Friday, Vert was feeling better about this whole "joining an a Capella group while being completely unqualified" thing. Getting to know everyone like that really helped take some of the pressure off, especially after that train wreck of a rehearsal the day before. It was nice to put the music away for an afternoon and just hang out. He'd had fun, met some new people, gained six new contacts in his phone, and was added to two different group texts.

Shenanigan Squad was all ten of them who had been at Zeke's for lunch and was already over a thousand messages long. Most were memes courtesy of Spinner, horrible puns also started by Spinner, but had nearly everyone joining in, vague threats from Agura to stop, and actual threats from Tezz to "shut the fuck up or piss off a Physics and Engineering major." Vert, having been on the receiving end of one of Tezz's experiments, decided to take a break from the puns for a while. Possibly indefinitely.

BF5 was an obvious one. It was basically just rehearsal reminders and what practice room they would be in that day. Which Vert was going to be late for their Tuesday rehearsal if AJ didn't hurry the fuck up. The plan was for AJ to work on his TPA in the library while Vert and the BF5 practiced.

"I'm ready!" AJ emerged from his room, backpack on his shoulders and hair still dripping from the shower.

"Great." Vert said only mildly sarcastic. "You moved the parking pass back to your car, right?"

"Yep." AJ nodded and pulled the keys from his pocket.

"I'll drive, AJ." Vert told him. "Gimme your keys."

"What?"

"Gimme your keys."

AJ protested. "I can dri-"

"Give me your fucking keys, AJ."

AJ sighed and surrendered his keys.

"Your insurance company will thank me for this." Vert said. AJ stuck his tongue out. Vert rolled his eyes. "You can drive home. Besides, we'll have to switch when we get there anyways. Your pass doesn't cover the Fine Arts building."

"It would make more sense if I drove then." AJ said.

"Nope." Vert dashed out the door and down the stairs. He could hear AJ close behind as they raced through the parking lot. They were both out of breath by the time they reached the car. Vert unlocked the car and climbed into the driver's seat while AJ hoped in the passenger seat.

"You know," AJ said between breaths, grinning mischievously, "being the fastest isn't always the best."

Vert flipped him the bird, turned the key in the ignition, adjusted everything so he could see properly, and pulled out of the parking lot. The rest of the drive was filled with him and AJ singing along to whatever janky mix CD AJ had in the player.

The front of the Fine Arts building had a horseshoe driveway that was perfect for dropping off and picking up. Vert put the car in park, not bothering to turn off the ignition, opened the door, and hopped out. AJ climbed over the seat and started readjusting the mirrors.

"I'll text you when we're done." Vert said to him. AJ just nodded, now messing with the seat. Vert started walking towards the building.

"Vert!" Zoom's voice called out from behind him. Vert turned to him. "Nice ride! I didn't know you had a Hummer too!"

"It's AJ's actually," Vert explained. "He's the one with the parking pass and he had some work to do in the library. I just didn't feel like dying today, so I drove here."

"Fair." Zoom watched as AJ sped out of the driveway. "Is that thing even street legal here though?"

"AJ shouldn't be street legal."

Zoom giggled and Vert had to actually bite down on his tongue to keep from asking him out right then and there. Zoom wasn't like the other people Vert had dated. If he screwed things up with Zoom, it would screw things up with Battle Force 5 and with everything the group had already been through Stanford might actually kill him if that happened. So, he wouldn't ask Zoom. Not yet anyways. He'd only agreed to be part of the group for the competition. After that, who knew?

Vert jumped a little when he felt a hand touching his shoulder. Zoom stared at him with curious eyes. "We should probably get to practice."

"Yes!" Vert said a little too quickly. "We should go practice!" He continued towards the building, Zoom following wordlessly beside him.

Just as it had been last week, rehearsal hadn't gone too well. It wasn't that Vert didn't know his part, it was that he was getting lost in the parts happening around him and couldn't figure out how to get back on track without completely stopping and playing a few notes out on the piano. He was frustrated and he could tell the others were as well. They ended rehearsal earlier than normal to give everyone a chance to cool off. As he stood outside texting AJ, Vert wondered if it would be better for him to cut his losses and quit now. Though that might make everyone hate him even more. Vert sighed. He didn't know what to do. In the distance, he heard a motorcycle engine starting. Zoom. He sighed again. Now that was fucked.

And then the sound got closer. Vert looked up from his phone in time to see Zoom's bike coming towards him. He didn't move, but instead watched as the bike stopped right in front of him and the engine cut. Zoom took off his helmet and smiled.

"Good. You're still here." Zoom said.

Vert swallowed hard. This couldn't be good.

"So, I know we've only had two rehearsals," Zoom started, "but music is hard. Especially this music."

Vert nodded in agreement, already preparing himself to be kicked out of the group.

"So, I was wondering if you wanted some extra help?" Zoom asked.

Vert stared at him.

"I know that means more practice time, bu-"

Vert cut him off. "I'll do it."

"Really?"

"Please." Vert said desperately. "If I'm gonna be part of BF5, then I need it."

"How soon do you want to start?"

"As soon as possible."

Zoom thought for a moment. "How about tomorrow, then? I'm not done with classes until three, so it would have to be after that."

"I get off work at three, so that's perfect."

"Great!" Zoom was smiling again. "We can just do it my house! I'll text you the address."

Vert nodded again. "Okay."

"Cool! I'll see you tomorrow then!" And then Zoom was off, leaving Vert wondering if that had really just happened.


	10. Need You Now

Chapter 10. Need You Now

If there was one thing Vert hated more than anything in this world, it was people who thought they were mechanics when they obviously weren't. This was the sixth time this particular car had been in their shop in just over a year. And that was on top of it going to the electric shop twice and to the dealership repair center once after that. Now it was back at Spectra, not even a month after they had sent it off after replacing its entire back end. Vert hated this car. He hated the guy who owned it prior to selling it to a poor college student who had already paid more in repairs than she had for the car. It wasn't like last time where he could just pop a loose sensor back in and send it out free of charge. This time the damn thing wouldn't even start. The electronics would boot up, but the engine would whine and wouldn't click over. He hoped it was just the starter because that was an easy fix. He'd try his best, but he'd already advised the girl to look into a new vehicle when it was dropped off by tow truck after quitting on her in a Subway parking lot. If Vert ever met the person who designed the 2007 Jeep Compass, he would personally murder them.

He was about to get the demon Jeep up onto the hoist when his alarm signaling the end of his shift went off. He sighed, already dreading working on this car tomorrow, and began to clean up his work station. If he didn't have plans to work with Zoom to work on this music for BF5 he would stay over and at least find out what was wrong, but he had to get this music down.

Vert checked all around his own car before hesitatingly hopping over the door into the driver's seat. Even though he and Jax had agreed to a temporary truce on the prank war, mostly from Stanford's pleading that they couldn't practice if Vert was in the hospital, he was still a little wary. Jax was clever and they would think of a loophole eventually. Vert tried not to think about when that would happen as he put the address Zoom had texted him into Google Maps and pulled out of Spectra. The CD with just the parts he was supposed to learn played the during the whole thirty-two-minute drive to Zoom's place. He double checked the address and texted Zoom that he was here before parking and knocking on the front door.

It was not Zoom who opened the door like Vert had expected. Instead it was older man, easily taller than Sherman with arms thick like tree trunks and an equally thick beard. He looked at Vert unamused, his arms crossed.

"Can I help you?" His deep voice rumbled and at that moment Vert was sure he was going to die right there.

"I'm, uh, here to work on music with Zoom." He said feebly, holding out the sheet music with a shaking hand.

The older man nodded. "Right. Zoom said you were coming over." He moved to the side and gestured inside. "Come in. You can leave your shoes by the door."

Vert followed him inside, nudging his shoes off like he had been asked to. He stood awkwardly in front of the door.

"You don't have to stand there." Came a softer voice from somewhere in the house. Vert turned towards the sound of it and caught sight of another older man, white haired and wearing what Vert was hoping a karate uniform and not a bathrobe. "You can come inside."

Vert opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a loud thud and Zoom suddenly appearing at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm here!" He said, slightly breathless. "Sorry, I was doing homework and didn't see your text."

Vert shrugged. "It's fine. I'm ready to get started whenever you are."

"Yeah! Upstairs!" Zoom started to head back up the stairs, Vert following behind him.

"Zoom?" One of the older men called. Zoom paused. "Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

Zoom groaned. "Vert, meet parents. Parents, meet Vert." He gestured between them. "There. You've met. We're going to work on music now." And with that Zoom continued up the stairs. Vert tried not to laugh and followed him.

"This is my room," Zoom said, opening the door at the end of the hall. "You can sit wherever."

Vert nodded and headed over to the futon, trying to ignore the fact that he was alone with a cute boy in his room. Music. He was here for music. Nothing else. He glanced absently at the sheet music in his hand. Zoom came and sat beside him.

"So, uh, what do you want to work on first?" He asked, sounding unsure of what to do next.

"Um, I guess we could start wi-"

"-Hey Zoom," the bedroom door reopened and a lanky teenager who looked like he could easily bench press Vert popped his head in. "Rawkus and Master T are gone now, so if you're gonna fuck let me know so I can put my headphones on."

Vert choked.

"ZEN!" Zoom shrieked, leaping to his feet, his cheeks flushed. "WE'RE JUST WORKING ON MUSIC FOR BF5!"

"Is that what you're calling it now?"

Zoom picked up one of the pillows on the futon and threw it at Zen. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Zen shrugged. "Whatever. Headphones." He closed the door again.

Zoom huffed and flopped back down on the futon. "Is it too much to wish I was an only child?"

Vert chuckled. "How old is your brother?"

"Fifteen."

"That explains so much. Although," Vert eyed him curiously. "You and your brother call your parents by their first names?" He hoped he wasn't crossing a boundary with the question.

"Sorry." Zoom said, completely serious. "You have to be at least friend level five to unlock my tragic backstory."

Vert blinked in surprise. "Oh. Uh-"

A smile cracked on Zoom's lips. "Dude, I'm kidding." He said between laughs. Vert let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Rawkus and Master T were our legal guardians way before they adopted us, so it's just what we're all used to. Why fix something that isn't broken?"

"Makes sense." Vert said.

"What about you?" Zoom asked. "Tell me the tragic backstory of Vert Wheeler."

"Well," Vert started, "I was raised by my grandparents after my mom died and my dad went missing. The two aren't related. At least, I'm pretty sure they're not."

Zoom stared at him. "You're kidding."

"No." Vert shook his head. "We filed a missing persons report and everything. It's been like twelve years."

"Oh my God, Vert. I'm so sorry."

"Nah, it's fine. It was a long time ago. I'm over it."

Zoom nodded slowly. "Sooo, now that we know each other's tragic backstories, back to music?"

"Yeah." Vert agreed. "Where were we gonna start again?"

"Well, technically you're supposed to warm up before you start actually singing so I was thinking…" Zoom's voice trailed off as he rose from the futon and crossed the room. He rummaged through the closet for a moment before returning with what looked suspiciously like a karaoke machine.

"But isn't karaoke still actually singing?"

"Not according to Stanford."

Vert snorted.

"One song." Zoom said, turning on the machine and handing Vert a mic. "I even have the perfect one."

Vert was about to say that he probably wasn't going to know whatever song Zoom had chosen. At least, that was until he heard the extremely familiar fade-in of an A minor chord and Hillary Scott's voice speaking a voicemail answer over the piano. Zoom grinned through the introduction and started singing.

" _Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor._

 _Reaching for the phone 'cause, I can't fight it anymore."_

Vert, who not only could play this song on his guitar, but actually knew the proper harmonies from listening to it so much, rose from his seat and joined in.

" _And I wonder if I ever cross your mind?"_

" _For me it happens all the time."_

 _It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now._

 _Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now._

 _And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now."_

Vert launched into the next verse with ease.

" _Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door._

 _Wishing you'd come sweepin' in the way you did before."_

" _And I wonder if I ever cross your mind?"_

" _For me it happens all the time."_

" _It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk, and I need you now._

 _Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now._

 _And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now."_

As the instrumental between the chorus and the bridge played, Vert found that he and Zoom were drifting closer to one another.

" _Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all…"_

" _It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now."_

" _And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now."_

" _And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now._

 _I just need you now…_

 _Oh, baby I need you now…"_

As the music faded, Vert realized that he and Zoom were close enough to each other that their mic chords had tangled around the other. He could see the blush on Zoom's cheeks and felt a similar heat on his own face and ears. Zoom looked up at him expectantly. Fuck it, Vert thought. He was going for it.

Something whizzed past Vert's ear, hitting Zoom square in the face. Someone laughed, and they jumped apart. Vert turned to see Zen poking half his body in through the partially opened bedroom door.

"ZEN WHAT THE FUCK?" Zoom shouted at him.

Zen dabbed. "Payback." He said and darted down the hall.

Zoom picked up whatever Zen had thrown off the floor, promptly shrieked, and dropped it again before chasing after Zen. Vert dared to look and then immediately regretted it.

Zoom's fifteen-year-old brother had thrown a condom in Zoom's face.

From down the hall Vert heard a loud _thwack_ followed by an "ouch!" that made him suddenly grateful that he was an only child. He sat back down as Zoom returned to the room.

"Start with Hallelujah?" Zoom asked, slightly out of breath and still a bit red in the cheeks.

"Sure."


	11. Who Am I?

Chapter 11. Who Am I?

 _ **Shenanigan Squad- 9/24/17  
**_

 _ **[11:42am] Spinner Cortez removed Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV as Admin**_

 _ **[11:42am] Spinner Cortez removed Viviana Lyon as Admin**_

 _ **[11:42am] Spinner Cortez changed group chat color**_

 _ **[11:43am] Spinner Cortez changed group icon**_

 _ **[11:43am] Spinner Cortez changed group emoji**_

 _ **[11:44am] Spinner Cortez changed group nicknames**_

 _ **[11:44am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _Spinner wtf_

 _ **[11:45am] Tijuana Genius:**_ _you're welcome_

 _ **[11:45am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _spinner pls_

 _ **[11:46am] Princess:**_ _Spinner, I am going to actively murder you_

 _ **[11:46am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _Viv?_

 _ **[11:50am] Princess:**_ _…_

 _ **[11:50am] Princess:**_ _Agura._

 _ **[11:51am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _ALDJFKAHSDKSAJFK_

 _ **[11:51am] Tijuana Genius:**_ _you're welcome, stan_

 _ **[11:52am] they see me rollin', they hatin':**_ _spinner why are you like this_

 _ **[11:52am] they see me rollin', they hatin':**_ _also I just saw my nickname and im cryinggg_

 _ **[11:52am] they see me rollin', they hatin':**_ _its viv btw you can't see the new names until that person replies_

 _ **[11:53am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _well, we all know who spinner is_

 _ **[11:53am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _also it's Stanford_

 _ **[11:54am] they see me rollin', they hatin':**_ _obviously._

 _ **[11:54am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _I resent that_

 _ **[11:57am] the final pam:**_ _Axel_

 _ **[11:57am] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _?_

 _ **11:58am] the final pam:**_ _it's the hair, monster factory reference, stan you wouldn't get it_

 _ **[12:00pm]**_ _ **likes his car more than you:**_ _vert here_

 _ **[12:00pm]**_ _ **likes his car more than you:**_ _hey_

 _ **[12:01pm]**_ _ **Naruto:**_ _lol vert get wrecked_

 _ **[12:01pm]**_ _ **Naruto:**_ _fuck_

 _ **[12:02pm]**_ _ **Naruto:**_ _it's because of the headband isn't it?_

 _ **[12:02pm]**_ _ **likes his car more than you:**_ _lol Zoom get wrecked_

 _ **[12:04pm]**_ _ **ice ice baby:**_ _get a room (also this is AJ)_

 _ **[12:05pm]**_ _ **likes his car more than you:**_ _AJ, im going to murder you_

 _ **[12:05pm]**_ _ **ice ice baby:**_ _(_ _͡_ _͜ʖ_ _͡_ _)_

 _ **[12:06pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _pls_

 _ **[12:06pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _who are we still waiting on?_

 _ **[12:07pm] they see me rollin', they hatin':**_ _looks like Tezz and Sherman_

 _ **[12:07pm]**_ _ **still sleeps with a nightlight:**_ _I know I shouldn't reply to this message, yet here I am._

 _ **[12:08pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _Sherman?_

 _ **[12:08pm]**_ _ **still sleeps with a nightlight:**_ _Yes?_

 _ **[12:09pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _do you actually tho?_

 _ **[12:08pm]**_ _ **still sleeps with a nightlight:**_ _It's practical._

 _ **[12:09pm] Tijuana Genius:**_ _practical for babies, little bro_

 _ **[12:09pm] Tijuana Genius:**_ _emphasis on Little_ _TM_

 _ **[12:10pm]**_ _ **still sleeps with a nightlight:**_ _I may sleep with a nightlight, but I can tell you what I don't sleep with. A professor. Bro._

 _ **[12:10pm] Tijuana Genius:**_ _SLANDER!_

 _ **[12:10pm] Naruto:**_ _HOLY SHIT WHO?_

 _ **[12:10pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _TELL US SHERMAN_

 _ **[12:11pm] the final pam:**_ _It was Dr. Z about three years ago._

 _ **[12:10pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _I FUCKING KNEW IT!_

 _ **[12:11pm] Tijuana Genius:**_ _WHYYYYY_

 _ **[12:11pm]**_ _ **still sleeps with a nightlight**_ _ **:**_ _payback, bitch_

 _ **[12:12pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _ALSKJDKAJAKSDSAHFSJ_

 _ **[12:15pm] emo bangs:**_ _I'm in class, what the fuck you fools want?_

 _ **[12:15pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _ALJDKLSFJDSHFJSD_

 _ **[12:15pm] they see me rollin', they hatin':**_ _OMG_

 _ **[12:16pm] Naruto:**_ _HAHAHAHAHAHA_

 _ **[12:17pm] emo bangs:**_ _What is so_

 _ **[12:17pm] emo bangs:**_ _Spinner, you're dead._

 _ **[12:17pm] Tijuana Genius:**_ _im not afraid of you tezz!_

 _ **[12:18pm] emo bangs:**_ _You should be._

 _ **[12:19pm] likes his car more than you:**_ _you really should_

 _ **[12:19pm] Tijuana Genius:**_ _aj? help?_

 _ **[12:20pm] ice ice baby:**_ _rip spinner_

 _ **[12:20pm] ice ice baby:**_ _it was nice knowing you_

 _ **[12:24pm] Tijuana Genius:**_ _hey Stanford, im not going to be at practice for a while_

 _ **[12:24pm] BIconic**_ _ **TM**_ _ **:**_ _Spinner, I'll kill you before Tezz does if you skip practice._

 _..._

Stanford sat with Viv in the living room of his apartment as they worked on homework for music theory together. He glanced over at the twelve-tone matrix Viv was working on and then looked down at his own.

"Your matrix is wrong." He told her smugly.

"It is not!" She said snatching the workbook out of his hands. She looked over both of their answers.

"Here." Stanford pointed at the box starting with a number five. "You P5 row is wrong. It should go five, eleven, four, seven, twelve, six, one, eight, three, ten, two, nine." She looked closer at the two workbooks.

"Shit!" She began to erase the incorrect rows on her paper. Stanford laughed, and she threw both books at him.

"Ouch!"

"You deserved it."

Stanford leaned down to retrieve both workbooks and handed Viv hers back. She placed it on the coffee table, flopped down on the couch, and sighed.

"I don't wanna think about this anymore. Talk to me about something else."

"Okay." Stanford said. "I found the second singer for my senior project and got the approval on the album name and set list."

Viv lifted her head off the couch. "Yeah? Who are they?"

"You'll find out at rehearsals."

"But-" She protested, but Stanford cut her off.

"They don't know who the other singer is either. You just gotta trust me on this one."

Viv glared at him. "Fine. You'd better give me any new music then if the set list changed."

"Not by much." He assured her. "I just added a couple more songs because the initial concept album wasn't long enough."

"How long is it now?"

"Ten songs. Just under forty minutes."

"Last I knew there were only five." Viv said.

"Yeah, I have music for you before you go."

She nodded. "Okay. What are the new songs?"

Stanford pulled out his phone and opened the notes app. "Album from start to finish is: For Good from _Wicked,_ Mountain Duet from _Chess,_ When You're In Love, but the outtake version from the movie album from _Seven Brides for Seven Brothers_ , The Phantom of the Opera and All I Ask of You from _Phantom_ , Hold Me Once Again from _An American Victory_ , Take Me As I Am and Dangerous Game from _Jekyll and Hyde_ , Looking Through Your Eyes from _Quest for Camelot,_ and finally At the Beginning from _Anastasia._ I'm calling it _A Touch of Broadway."_

"You know not all of those shows have been on Broadway, right?" Viv asked.

Stanford crossed his arms. "One, don't care name was approved by the dean. Two, _Quest for Camelot_ deserves to be on Broadway as long as they don't fuck it up like _Anastasia_ , which is why I wanted that song. Three, _An American Victory_ will be there eventually, it's just stuck in concept album hell."

Viv shrugged. "It's your project. When do rehearsals start again?"

"October twenty-fifth, so a month from now." Stanford told her. "After that, we have Studio A every other Friday to start recordings."

"I'll be there."

"You'd better fucking be there."

"Perhaps." Viv said, grabbing her workbook back off the coffee table. "Grab your book. I want to try and get this assignment done before midnight."


	12. Learn To Do It

Chapter 12. Learn To Do It

"Dude, you got it!"

Vert looked up from his music to see Zoom smiling at him. He blinked in surprise. Had he really? This was only the fourth practice he'd had with Zoom so far, and he didn't think he had been doing that well. The look on Zoom's face said otherwise.

"Really?" He asked Zoom. "Because I still got lost halfway through."

"Yeah," Zoom said. "But you got back on track when you realized where we were. You know what that means, right?"

"No?"

"It means you know the music, Vert. The extra practice is working."

Vert thought about the hours spent working on this music. Between practice with BF5 and Zoom, almost all of his free time lately had been dedicated to three specific songs. Sure, there were others he was supposed to learn as well, but these three were the Most Important according to Stanford.

The challenge in _Hallelujah_ had come in the second verse of the song when he was no longer singing the melody he was familiar with, but had been banished to the very bottom of his register so Sherman could take over the melody. Vert didn't even know he could sing that low. He'd never tried. That, and the only person whose line had some consistency was Spinner's. Everyone else was jumping all over the place, switching who sang what on which verse, and when something went wrong it was chaos. But Zoom said he'd held his part this time.

The very thought of _Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy_ activated Vert's fight or flight response, and not just because of the absolute ridiculous choreography Stanford had planned. Unlike _Hallelujah_ , he was singing actual words for most of the song, but the rapid pace at which they were going by gave him whiplash worse than when AJ turned corners. They had been practicing it considerably slower than what they were supposed to, but at least he wasn't tripping over words anymore. He was till tripping over his feet on the step-touch, however. Also, he was pretty sure Zoom had started speeding it up and not saying anything to see if he noticed.

 _Jolene_ was the kind of song that made Vert want to grab Dolly Parton by the shoulders and tell her to get a handle on her man. Viv too for that matter, since she was essentially Dolly at the moment. It was like Spinner had said, either she and Sherman were actually that oblivious, or they were secretly married and love watching everyone else suffer. There was no in between. The song itself was actually pretty easy as far as music went, it was just that he hated it.

Zoom scooted closer to him, still smiling brightly. Vert's breath caught in his throat, and he really hoped Zoom didn't notice how obvious it had been. He promised himself he wouldn't do anything until after the competition so that way Stanford wouldn't kill him. But with each practice he found himself falling for Zoom a little bit more, and suddenly that promise was very difficult to keep. He didn't want to fuck this up, but he was absolutely fucked. It made him think that maybe there was a reason Sherman and Viv hadn't done anything about their extremely obvious feelings for each other.

"Wanna do a run through of everything and see what happens?" Zoom asked.

Vert nodded slowly, rising to his feet with Zoom beside him.

They sang through everything without stopping, even attempting to do the choreography on _Boogie Woogie_. By the time they were finished, both were out of breath. Zoom's smile had somehow grown impossibly wider.

"I can't wait to see Stanford's face at practice" tomorrow."


	13. We Can Work It Out

Chapter 13. We Can Work It Out

Practice days used to be Stanford's favorite days of the week. Sure, they meant he had to hang out with his brother, but it also meant hanging out with Zoom, Sherman, and Spinner while doing something they all enjoyed. He still liked the company, even more now that Simon was no longer part of the group. It was just that practice sessions were turning into a bit of a headache for him.

Stanford liked Vert. He was fun to be around, had fit into everything nicely, was a great singer, but he was just bad at a capella. He was trying, Stanford knew, and he tried to give him grace on being thrown into something completely unfamiliar, but they were halfway into October now and still working through just notes. At this rate, BF5 was going to be absolutely massacred in December at the competition. Maybe it would have been better if they had dropped out. Or better yet, if he had actually killed Simon years ago to prevent this exact moment. Tezz could probably build a time machine. Convincing Tezz to let him use it was a problem for another day. Oh well. He rounded the corner that lead to their practice room. When he saw the light on, he paused. Whoever was in the room must not know it had been previously reserved. Stanford pulled up the confirmation email and walked in without knocking to _politely_ inform whoever was there that he had this room booked.

"Oh hey, Stanford!" Zoom said looking up from the piano and smiling. Vert sat next to him and waved.

Stanford quickly put his phone away. "Hey guys. You're here early."

"Yeah! My class was cancelled, and Vert had today off so we decided to work on some stuff."

Vert just nodded along as Zoom spoke, confusing Stanford even more than he already was. He was about to ask when Sherman and Spinner walked into the room. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was time to start practice.

After a brief warm up, they decided to jump right into _Hallelujah._ The first verse was fine. The second was… also fine. Stanford was definitely extremely confused at this point, but he wasn't about to question it. Not when things were suddenly going smoothly. Verse three hit and Stanford realized he'd spoken too soon. Vert had dropped out completely. He was considering stopping completely when Vert was suddenly back in as if he hadn't missed the last two lines. Stanford tried not to stare, and when Vert caught him, he winked. Stanford could feel the tips of his ears burning. That sly motherfucker. He looked over to Zoom, who looked about ready to burst out laughing, and decided that he must have having some kind of fever dream. He would wake up on his couch any minute now.

But he didn't wake up. Instead, they worked out the trouble spot in _Hallelujah_ and moved on to the next song. He really wanted to comment on what was happening, but he also didn't want to fuck things up by saying anything, so he refrained. With great difficulty.

The two and a half hours flew by, and next thing Stanford knew everyone was packing up to go. Vert had excused himself rather quickly stating that "AJ had locked himself out of the apartment again." No one said anything as he left. Sherman was next to leave since had a night class, and Spinner was right behind him. Zoom turned to go, but Stanford caught his arm.

"Dude, I have work in like thirty minutes." He whined.

"What the fuck was that, Zoom?" Stanford asked.

"Practice?"

Stanford gave him a flat look. "You know what I mean."

"Okay, so I _might_ have been helping Vert for the past couple of days. I offered and he said yes."

Stanford nodded slowly. "Makes sense. So, why wasn't I the only one who was surprised by this?"

Zoom grinned. "We might have practiced without you yesterday."

"WHAT?"

"Dude, your face though? So worth it."

Stanford huffed. Zoom laughed.

"At least now Viv and I don't have to hear you bitch about practice anymore."

Stanford opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Okay, so Zoom had a point, but still he'd gone to a lot of trouble to help Vert out. It was almost as if-

"Oh my God, you like him." Stanford said suddenly.

Zoom's face instantly went red. "What? No! I don't- How dare you- I would _never-_ "

"You _like_ him!" Stanford said again, teasing. "How did I not see it? It's so obvious."

"It is?!"

"It is now."

Zoom glared at him. "Dude."

"I won't say anything!" Stanford reassured him. Zoom looked at him suspiciously. "I promise, Zoom. But you have to give me details later."

"Okay." Zoom said while pulling his arm free. "But if I'm late for work, I'm blaming you."

"McDonald's cares that much?"

"You'd be surprised, dude."

Stanford shrugged as he and Zoom walked out of the practice room together. It had been a productive, slightly confusing practice, but at least he was excited about it again. Especially now that he knew Zoom had a crush on Vert. If anything, the next few weeks were bound to be interesting.


End file.
